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What is the difference between Local, State and Federal elections?

In Australia, there are three levels of government: federal, state or territory and local. We vote to elect representatives to each of these three levels.

Answer

Federal

The Federal Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. We elect representatives in both houses. A federal election is conducted once every three years and typically involves the election of all House of Representatives members and half of the Senate.

A member of the House of Representatives represents their geographic area, also known as an electorate. Casey is one of 151 federal electorates. The party with the majority of seats in the House of Representatives make up the leading Federal Government. The leader of this party is the Prime Minister.

In the Senate, Senators represent a whole state or territory. There are 12 senators for every state and two for each Territory, who are voted in by the people of that State or Territory.

The Federal government for Casey, and all of Australia, is the Commonwealth Government of Australia.

 

State

State elections work similarly to Federal elections, where voters in geographical electorates vote for members of the State Parliament. There are 88 members of the State parliament in the Lower House, one for each district in Victoria. The party with majority support in the Lower House forms the Victorian Government. There are 40 members in the Upper House, five for each region in Victoria. The leader of a State government is called the Premier.

The Federal Electorate of Casey overlaps with three state electoral districts; Eildon, Evelyn and Monbulk.

 

Local

The Local government is also called the city council or shire council. Councils are established by state governments to look after the particular needs of a city or local community and provide public services. Councils regulate and manage services adapted to the needs of the community they serve. The head of the Council is the Mayor.

The Federal Electorate of Casey is almost entirely covered by the Yarra Ranges Shire Council.

For a good infographic explaining the different tiers of government, please see this link from the AEC’s website: https://www.aec.gov.au/learn/files/poster-three-levels-gov.pdf